Today is Disneyland!
We wake up at 7:30 so we have time for breakfast. I have the usual local faire, which is delicious as always. I still can’t persuade the family to try it though!
We head out around 9am and take the 2 metros and a train to get to the park which is on reclaimed land in the harbour. On arrival we need to take another train to traverse the park, which we also have to pay for, which seems a bit much, given we have tickets to the park. Thinking we will only need to use the train twice I just buy us one way tickets because it’ll work out 100 yen cheaper per person.
On arriving at the Disneyland stop it began to rain, and by the time we’d made it through the entrance it has really started to pour down! This did mean that many people had dequeued to hide from the rain, so we took the opportunity to run through the rain to the nearest ride, The Pirates of the Caribbean, and got straight on without queuing at all. The ride was underground and completely inside, so the rain didn’t cause a problem.
On exiting the ride, the rain had stopped and we moved on to Thunder Mountain, our first roller coaster, which was a lot of fun.
Next up was Splash Mountain, and having just seen a family nearby, completely drenched and using towels, we’re thinking we might get soaked. We were sat right at the front and enjoyed the big drop at the end, thankfully it was just a good splash and not an absolute drenching!
At this point it was after midday and we decided to get some lunch before trying to find the bigger roller coasters. We stop on the way to take a selfie in front of the iconic Disney castle.
We opted for a sit down lunch, on the menu was pasta bolognaise with mushrooms, which the kids were very happy about. We were pleasantly surprised as it was cooked perfectly and they do know mushrooms in Japan!
On studying the map, I realise why we can’t get to the bigger rides, they are in a different park, DisneySea, right next door! Our tickets are only for Disneyland and we can’t upgrade, but we can buy an “evening” ticket which allows us to enter from 3pm, we opt for that.
After lunch we go on the Star Tours simulator and have another go on Thunder Mountain. By this point the sun has come out and it is sweltering. We’ve run out of cash and the stalls won’t accept cards. We hike back to the main building via a fast food counter for cold drinks and then use the atm. One thing we have been surprised about is the prevalence of cash in Japan, whilst most shops accept cards, you really need cash to get by. Something I’ve gotten out of the habit of at home.
The girls buy Disney sun umbrellas to provide some shade, all the rage here, and with the cash supplies restocked we headed to DisneySea.
We get our tickets marked at the exit because we plan to return in the evening to see the fireworks.
Back at the park train station we buy a day pass each, don’t want to be caught out there again!
On arriving at DisneySea, we immediately realise this is the grown up theme park, there’s a lot fewer children and the design is more sophisticated. They’ve built a Venetian waterfront overlooked by a volcano, which then morphs into a New York port. It’s all very detailed and looks amazing.
Now it’s time for some big rides, the first port of call is Indiana Jones, where we ride jeeps through a Mayan temple.
We sat in the front row again and Bella took the steering wheel, it was an exhilarating ride and right at the end there was a giant boulder rolling towards us just like in the movie. Alex is so quick in ducking, he misses the photo op! We all left the ride with big smiles on our faces, so much fun!
It’s still really hot at this point and we buy some very welcome ice lollies from a kiosk. The vender compliments Bella on her beautiful eyes, which she was very happy about.
Next up was Raging Spirits, which was the first grown up rollercoaster. This ride has a 360 loop and there’s several warnings on the way in. I’m convinced we’ll need to leave our bags at the side, but it turns out there is no need and they just ride with us. Pretty sure they wouldn’t allow that under health and safety in the UK!
It’s another fun ride with some stomach wrenching drops and the 360 loop at the end. Great fun.
There were just two of the big rides to go now before dinner, so we headed back the way we had came towards the volcano and queued for The Journey to the Centre of the Earth. This was my favourite ride, the set was so detailed and atmospheric and there were a couple of good drops too!
On making our way towards the final ride, we passed the lagoon where they had moored a model of the submarine from 20,000 leagues under the sea. I loved the movie as a child. I really should get around to reading the book at some point!
We made our way towards the final big ride, the Tower of Terror. On the way we passed one of the many popcorn stands, this one was Garlic Shrimp favour. The kids have been after some popcorn ever since we spotted curry flavour earlier in the day, and we promise to get some later for the show.
There’s a 30 min wait for the Tower of Terror, but it feels a lot longer, probably because we’ve been standing all day. After we were strapped in the “elevator” we’re hoisted to the top of the tower and treated to a series of lurches and drops in the dark, the whole ride is screaming and having a great time!
With the rides finally over for the day, we found some dinner, back to Japanese, and I had the special set menu with a couple of thirst quenching beers. Again we were impressed with the quality of the food for a theme park!
After dinner, we hot-footed it over to the chocolate popcorn stand for dessert and then headed back to the main lake for the light show. We decided to just stick to this park since they also had a light show, rather than travelling back to Disneyland again.
On the way we passed the faux cruise liner all lit up, they really have gone to town creating an amazing experience.
We’re treated to lights, dancing and music from each of the Disney franchises with the occasional firework, there’s quite a big crowd watching and lots of people are singing along. It is all in Japanese, but we do recognise the tunes and characters.
We decide not to stay right until the end, it’s been a very long day and we head back to the hotel via the various trains.
Diana and I enjoy a beer before bed, along with some complimentary rice crackers.
We really enjoyed the Disney parks today, not only some thrilling rides, but such an amazing environment and experience, with so much detail. We were all very impressed!